January 22, 2013

How can you honestly look at this face without melting? I don't think I've ever actually seen this movie more than once or twice, but I just love how bashful he is. Plus, seeing him around at Disneyland and riding the rides, just made me get into a "Dumbo" kick.

Alice In Wonderland Tea:

The popular thing at Disneyland was Alice In Wonderland tea! I kept seeing it around at all of the stores we went in along Main Street and even at California Adventures on Buena Vista Street. There were all different types of sets that they came in, and there was even a tea pot! I've been sick for the past couple of days, and hot tea always makes me feel better, so I've been trying different flavors, and so far they're all really yummy! It's a little pricey for tea, but if you're an Alice fan, then it's totally a must!

Tangled:

I LOVE Tangled! I really think it's Disney's best modern day animated film! The love story is great, but I also love that Rapunzel is very independent, and isn't sitting around and waiting for "Prince Charming" to come around and save her, it just happens to work that she finds him, while finding her independence. Plus, the boat scene is probably one of the best things in Disney history; the song, the lights...*sigh* It's all perfect!

The Kardashians:

I am definitely back into my Kardashian phase! That usually tends to happen when their shows are on. Especially after visiting the store and seeing Kourtney, I'm totally in a Kardashian state of mind now. And I'm really excited to see what Lord Disick brings to the table this season...Really, he's probably my favorite on the show. And sometimes, I forget that this is a "reality" show and that they're all just characters. But, I just really love their family and how close they are, even when they're yelling and screaming at everything in the process.

Shane West:

Well, when do I ever not like him? It just popped into my head today that I haven't watched A Walk To Remember in a couple of months, and that's just not okay... It's pretty much my favorite movie of all time, along with Titanic. And Shane West has been one of my "celeb crushes" for as long as I can remember...So there's that! He even tweeted me one time, and it was a really awesome day ;).

Liz Huett:

She used to be Taylor Swift's backup singer, but now she is spreading her wings to do her own thing in the music business and I could not be more excited for her! I really love her voice and the music that she's been working on, which you can listen to on her site! I'm really excited to see what else she comes up with and hope it's really SOON (just not Carrie Underwood's definition of soon, because it's usually not as soon as you hope). Liz is one of the SWEETEST and most genuine people I've ever met, and she just has this beautiful spirit and way of lighting up a room! I can't wait to see where she goes in all of this.

Kacey Musgraves:

I heard this song on the radio awhile back called, "Merry Go Round," and anytime I hear someone new on the radio, I always think "Who the heck is this?! Like we need any new artists...blah, blah,blah." Well, I saw her name on the screen of our car and kept listening to the song! I really liked it and thought it was catchy, and she has grown on me ever since! I love that she has a different style and brings something new to Country music that we haven't necessarily heard before in her writing and the melodies that she creates. You can check out her website or YouTube if you want to hear more from her or find out who she is!

Parachute:

I had heard of this group before, but never really knew or listened to any of their songs, until the other day when I saw someone post a picture of one of their albums. I was in the need for some new tunes in my ears, and decided to look them up on Spotify, and I really like them! They're like the perfect soundtrack for being outside and riding your bike, just loving life. I'm definitely going to keep listening to their CD's. Check them out! They have some great stuff.

My favorite song right now:

"Bruises" by Train featuring Ashley Monroe! I really love how Country music is starting to blend with other genres to some degree, especially where other artists like Train are concerned. I really love the story in the song, as well as the melody...It's catchy and light, yet has a deeper message when you listen to the lyrics. The video is pretty cool too! I LOVE Train; they're one of my favorite bands, so I'm excited to hear them on country radio. I hope to see them live someday.

Apps:

I'll just keep this one plain and simple. I'm into video apps, where you can watch the videos that others post, and you can post your own! It's a fun way to share little things in each others' lives, especially if you have friends/family out of state. Keek and Telly are the ones that I'm into most right now, but I'm sure if you do a little researching in the app store, you can find plenty of others.

Model Behavior:

Ah, the movie where Justin Timberlake made his big movie debut. Though, I'm sure he's a little ashamed to admit that now that he's this huge movie star and he's REALLY talented. But, let me just say, I still love this movie. It came out in the 90s, so what do you expect with the cheesy clothes, lines, and music? That's what made it so awesome! It's funny how I can still remember the night it first premiered, and being SO excited to see Justin on TV, because I thought I was going to marry him someday. Times do change ;) Anyway, I was sick in bed today, so I thought I'd watch it again...and it was still just as good. No surprise there! Disney just doesn't make them like this anymore.

I'm not going to keep sitting here and worrying over things that haven't happened yet! I'm 21! I have a world of opportunities and I'm not responsible for anyone else but me yet, so now's the time to jump into something I've always wanted to and see where the road leads! It should be a FUN time! I'll wait until my 30s at least, before I start freaking out about what I need or want to do. Right now, it's time to experiment and I have to remind myself of that at times!

I'm still sick! If anything, I feel worse than I did yesterday. My cough is horrible and my throat is SO sore. I've been trying to take it easy and take medicine, so we'll see if I can kick it before long!

So far, I've watched Pretty Little Liars and The Vampire Diaries, so I'm all caught up on shows I missed last week. Now, I'm going to start reading for my California History class, since it's the only class I'll be taking this semester. But, this has also given me plenty of time to worry and create problems that were never even there. Go me! It's like I still have no idea what opportunities I want to take this semester since I have so much free time... Internships have probably closed for this time around, so I can't really just pick one of those. I've been thinking about getting a job at a yogurt shop that's getting ready to open, but I'm wondering...Is that really going to get me any closer to where I want or need to be? And then I'm back at square one!

January 21, 2013

I can't believe I'm 21. I was just starting to get used to the fact that I was 20 (no longer in the "teen years"), and here we are with another change. I'm getting older, and that's weird! But, not as crazy as I thought it would be. I guess it's just something you naturally grow into as the years go by. So, it's time I start acting like it, right?

I woke up to my cats fighting in my room, which was entertaining, that's for sure. I couldn't get to sleep after that, so I decided to go out to the living room to talk with my mom, as usual. A few minutes later, my dad surprised me with balloons and donuts. Two of my very favorite things. It was strange to me that I was up so early on a Sunday morning, because it is very rare that I do that. But, I liked it. I was able to watch Friends and take my time getting ready, which is wonderful. I hate to feel rushed; it makes me anxious, and that's just not good for anyone.

Church was incredible as always, and I felt my spirit come back to life a bit. This year, I've been feeling unmotivated and just not really sure of where to go. I have a stirring in my heart to do something BIG, but I'm not really sure what exactly it is that I want to do. I just know that I wanted to get started and go after it!
When church was over, we came home to start getting things together for family that was about to come over. I opened my presents, which consisted of Taylor Swift merchandise, and changed into a comfier outfit, then I watched a little E! to prep for the Golden Globe awards. I also kept checking Twitter for some birthday wishes...and I got them...AUSTIN NICHOLS CALLED ME "Baby!" How much more exciting can it get?! Sophia Bush also wished me a happy birthday, which was equally as exciting...Just because she's Sophia Bush, what other reason do you need?!
The family came over in mid-afternoon and we had lunch, talked, and ate birthday cake, of course! It was a really good time to spend with the ones I love. But, by the end of the time that they were over, it had my mind filled with so many questions and doubts and where I'm going with my life, which is never good. But, it can also be used as a great motivator.
When everyone left, I met up for coffee with one of my very best friends, Viviyan, and we talked a lot about the future and our spiritual journeys, which is definitely what I needed to talk about, because I've been struggling with getting back into the game. She told me about a potentially big opportunity coming her way, and I told her where I'm at, and some of the concerns/annoyances that have been on my mind, and it really put me at ease to get them off of my chest.

After coffee, we headed across the street to our church, because they were starting the renewal. I remember having such a wonderful time of healing last year, and really felt like I needed to go this time as well, even though I wouldn't be able to make every night. It was so incredible to have a longer time of worship, and then diving into a more intimate message. That night, we focused on how Jesus is SAVIOR. We don't have to focus on the storm that is going on in our lives, all we need to do is keep our eyes on Him, and He'll get us through it. We have to have faith and know that God is going to change things! We have to reach out to Jesus and accept His healing for our lives, and let Him do what He wants, not what we want. Jesus doesn't see things as they are, He sees them for how they are going to be. He sees the potential in us, when people only see us for who we are right now, and they limit us. God NEVER does that. The more we start to believe in what God can do, it drives back the forces of darkness that try to destroy us and hold us back from doing something really great for the kingdom.

There was prayer afterwards, which I actually went down there for, and I just felt at peace. I know that God is doing a lot of work in my heart, and I just have to keep working at it to get to where I want to be. But, I know He sees me as a diamond in the rough, and He isn't through working with me yet....In fact, I think it's only just beginning.

After the service ended, I talked with some friends and we started trying to make plans for a game night very soon, and then I went home. I watched the Golden Globes with my parents and we snacked on some leftovers from earlier in the afternoon. It was very relaxing, and just an all around wonderful day. :)

I forgot how much fun Disneyland is, but I also forgot how tiring it can be! I woke up the morning after California Adventures, with very sore feet, feeling like I couldn't walk at all. After a little while it passed, and then it was time to start getting excited for Las Vegas!!!!

Thursday: Anaheim/Vegas

My parents and I got up and around, then had lunch at Knott's Berry Farm's Chicken dinner restaurant! It was just as good as I remember it! I was a little cranky to start with; feeling annoyed with everything, but I moved past that after we ate...Food is a lifesaver, let me just say that. We walked through the candy store to pick up some treats for the plane after we ate, then decided to head over to the Long Beach area. It didn't take us very long at all to get there, and we still had plenty of time before we needed to get to the airport, so we went to the dock by the Queen Mary, which was really cool. I don't think I've been there since I was about five or so, so that was neat to see. After that, we drove down near a marina area, and got out for a few minutes! It was a seriously gorgeous day; 75 degrees or so and so BRIGHT! I could have stayed there all day, but we're talking about possibly going back for another weekend trip sometime. I love the beach, and would just love to sit and write, while people watching. I find so much joy and inspiration from that.

Pretty soon, we headed out to the airport! As we pulled up, it looked so familiar, and we've never been to this airport! Then, I remembered I had read somewhere that it was used in The Parent Trap (remake with Lindsay Lohan), which has sort of been on my bucket list for quite awhile. We parked, checked in our luggage, then headed to the X-Ray machine where you run your carry on's through and have to get checked and everything--my least favorite part. Well, we made it through pretty quickly, and I was at the opposite end of the conveyor belt, when I glanced up. There was a guy with curly hair, and I was about to joke with my mom that it was Cory Matthews (Boy Meets World), because we do that sometimes when we see guys with brillow pad hair. Anyway, he turned, and I kept looking at him and started realizing that it was Ben Savage, so I kinda nudged my mom and said, "Isn't that..." and don't think I finished my sentence. She caught on to who I was pointing to and said yeah, that's him! Go get your picture, he's just standing there! I was trying to grab my stuff and put on my shoes, and neither was working out for me. I was FREAKING OUT, because I was so excited! I have loved Boy Meets World FOREVER, as I'm sure most of the 90s kids my age have. I never finished putting on my boots, and just walked over to him.

Here's the conversation:

Me: Ben

Ben: Yeah...

Me: Can I get a picture with you?

Ben: Yeah, of course!

Me: I love Boy Meets World! I still watch it all the time!

Ben: Oh, well thank you!

I think my mom added something about me watching it too.

Me: I'm really excited about the new one too!

Ben: Oh great! Thank you so much!

(After picture, I usually just get ready to go, but he kept talking)

Ben: So, what's your name?

Me: Shelby!

Ben: It's really nice to meet you!

Me: Yeah, you too!

Ben: Where are you guys heading?

Me: We're going to Vegas!

Ben: Oh nice!

Me: It's actually for my 21st birthday!

Ben: I think he said something about it being a big birthday?? Wow! Well, happy birthday!

Me: Thank you!

Ben: Are you meeting up with friends or anything?

Me: No, just going with my parents (I nodded to them)

Ben: WHAT?! (Total Cory Matthews face while laughing LOL)

Me: (I just kind of shrugged)

Mom: Added something about us having been at disneyland for the past couple days

Ben: Well that's fun! where are you guys from?

Mom: Bakersfield

Me: So, we're just a couple of hours away!

Ben: Bakersfield..(looked like he was thinking about it for a few seconds) Oh ok...Not too far!

Mom got called off to deal with the liquids in her bag, and Ben had to take care of something too.

Ben: It was really nice meeting you guys! Have fun in Vegas!

Me: Thank you! You too wherever you're heading to! (Found out later he was going to Sundance in Utah)

I was still shaking after, and it took awhile to come down from all the excitement! After that, we had a couple hours to kill before our plane arrived, so I basically killed the battery on my phone by texting and tweeting...Nothing new. Around 4 or so, we got on the plane and headed to Vegas! I love flying with JetBlue; you get a snack and they always have great entertainment provided for FREE, which rarely happens on airlines these days. I ended up just watching an episode of The Office that I had on my ipad, and before I had even finished, we were there! I love how flying gets you there in way less than half the time it would take to drive!

We picked up our bags at baggage claim, then had to pick up our rental car, and finally we were on our way to the next adventure! We made our way to Excalibur, checked in, and headed to the room to freshen up before going out to dinner. We ended up having dinner at Buca Di Beppo again in our hotel again, then went driving down The Strip. Vegas is filled with a lot of wacky, crazy, and just plain wrong...But, it sure looks pretty at night if you look at the right things. We went into The Venitian to check out things for the next night at the concert, grabbed some dessert and went back to the room to hang out.
I always feel inspired when I'm in a different city, so I tend to always either bring my laptop or a notebook to write. I always do my best writing at night, so I sat in bed and got started on some ideas I'd been brainstorming for a story, which is always fun! It's a little escape from reality.

Friday:

I woke up around 5:45, not feeling good, so I had to take medicine and fell back to sleep shortly after. Around 9, We woke up, got ready and got a bit of a later start, which was nice! It was a vacation, so we didn't really have any set plans. We had lunch at this restaurant called, Texas De Brazil, which is all you can eat meat and salad bar! It has a lot of interesting foods, which is awesome and you don't even have to go out of the country to try it.
I always feel really important too, because it's one of those restaurants where they come over with your every beck and call. They pull out your chairs, place your napkin on your lap, refill your drinks even if they're out of a bottle (I had Passion Tea), and they continue to bring meat on kabobs and ask you if you want anything else. I wasn't feeling too good, so I think I ate too much, and decided to call it quits.
After lunch, we went to the outlets next door to check some things out for a little bit, then headed down the street to The Mirage. We cut through Caesar's Palace and checked out the Celine Dion/Shania Twain store, which had me freaking out over everything in there. They are two of my favorite artists!
We walked through The Mirage to find the Kardashian Khaos store, which I was really excited about. To be honest, it was a lot cooler than I thought it was going to be. Everything had their face on it, of course, but there were some really different things in there, like makeup bags, makeup, fans, etc. I was geeking out a little.
When we finished there, we ended up going to the Siegfried and Roy exhibit at the hotel, which was a lot of fun. We watched the training session at the dolphin pool, then walked around the lion/tiger habitat, and we actually got really close to them. Most of them were sleeping, except for the tiger, so we hung around him the most. We didn't spend very much time there before leaving, but I was really glad we did it! It was something different and for once we weren't shopping, which was great.

We got back to the hotel and grabbed some treats, then headed back to the room to hang out. Finally, we started getting ready for the Tim McGraw and Faith Hill show at The Venitian. I was so excited to go out; Vegas is just a really fun place, and even though I'm 21 now, I did NOT drink, and I don't really plan to anytime soon. It's just not my thing and I don't understand why people can't get over that. If you want to drink, that's cool..But, I just don't want to right now. So, there's that!
We drove over to The Venitian, picked up our tickets, and had plenty of time to kill after that, so I played one of the slots. Let me just be clear, I really don't care about gambling, I just thought it would be fun to try since I was able to now. After putting in some money...and losing...I just still think I'm going to stick with my prior idea that I'd rather just go shopping with that money. Unless you're just extremely lucky, it's really not that great. I also don't think that they really care or pay attention to how old people are in the casino. Sure, I was with my parents, but I don't look my age, and I didn't get carded once. Actually, I'm kind of disappointed about that, but oh well.

We went into the auditorium, after they opened the doors, a little later than planned. The concert started a bit later than planned, but that was okay. The show was really incredible! Tim and Faith are probably one of the cutest couples ever, and you really get to see just how much they love each other as they go back and forth on stage. They're much more laid back and chill with one another than you really get to see a lot of the time. Tim is smitten with her, and you can tell she totally adores him, which is part of what being married is supposed to be about. I wish they would've sang a little bit more, it felt like there was more of turning down the lights/entrances and exits, and a little more interaction between them. Tim had a lot of energy and Faith's vocals were incredible! The two are definitely performers, and I think they really bounce inspiration off of one another. There are some really cool elements in the show that really make them more approachable and truly give back to the fans, which I'm all about.
Tim even came up to our section and SHOOK OUR HANDS! I can't believe just how excited I got and how I pushed past my mom and dad to get to the aisle when he started getting closer. I was literally shaking from excitement afterwards! Pretty soon after, the concert ended and that was it. I had a really great time and I highly recommend the show to anyone who might be going to the Vegas area until April. It's a small arena, and being able to capture the essence of two country superstars/legends for this day in age, is pretty incredible.

When the concert ended, we had dinner at the Grand Luxe Cafe, and it was really good. It definitely reminded me a lot of The Cheesecake Factory, so I'm not sure if they have the same owner or what, but I just thought I'd throw that out there. We had planned on staying until after the second show to possibly see them walk out of the theater, since that's how they close the show, but we were too tired and it was way too long to wait, so we decided to go back to the hotel. I did a little bit of writing, then called it a night.

Saturday:

It was our last day there, and we didn't really have much of anything else planned, so we got a bit of a later start; packed up our things, got ready, and headed out by 10:30 from our hotel. We checked out, then decided to head to The Mirage for lunch. We went to a Jewish Deli, which was really good, but the portions are always SO BIG! My dad and I split a roast beef sandwich, which was pretty tasty! After lunch, we headed up to Kardashian Khaos to check things out with Kourtney's signing, and waited a little while for her to show up! It was pretty packed, but not as bad as it could have been. She is GORGEOUS in person! I honestly think she's the prettiest of the three, and in person she's even more of that. We hung around for a few minutes as the "paparazzi" and fans took pictures of her outside of the store, and then started moving through the line, then we decided to leave. I really wish I could've met her, but it's not the end of the world that I didn't get to. There will be other times, and maybe then I won't have to pay! I was just so excited that one of the Kardashians was actually there when we were and I got to see her. I was crossing my fingers that they'd do a signing while we were there, and it worked out! You can even check out some of the pics on Kourtney's blog!

We still had a little bit of time before our flight took off, so we drove around and filled up the gas tank, stopped at Dunkin Donuts, then we had to return the rental car and get to the airport. Everything went really smooth; I even saw a Shane West look alike on the shuttle from the rental car depot to the airport, which pretty much made my day! Then, we get settled into the airport and the lady comes over the loud speaker saying our flight has been delayed a couple hours. And that's where the "going smoothly" thing stopped. They kept us updated on everything, and it didn't feel like it took too long! I journaled, tweeted, and texted with a few of my friends, and pretty soon it was time to go. We also met some really cool people and talked to them for a few minutes! Airports just have a lot of really cool stories to be told, I have a feeling! You just never know who you're going to cross paths with.

We got back into Long Beach, and still had to drive home from there. I plugged my ipod into the car speakers, and turned up the Tim/Faith playlist I had created for the trip. My parents and I talked about the concert and a few other things that happened, and then I did what I do best on car trips...Daydream! We made it home a couple hours later, and I couldn't have been happier to be in my own bed and to not be SO COLD everywhere we went, which seemed to be the theme. Apparently I just didn't dress warm enough. I unpacked some of my things, and that was that! What a way to bring in 21...I know it's going to be a great year, it feels like it's just taking awhile to get that motivation back again.

I'm going to try to post more pictures sometime this week, so stay tuned for that :)